SEEING THE SPARKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17169, 12 October 1923, Page 8

SEEING THE SPARKS.

CREATING SHORT CIRCUIT. Per. PRess Association". ASH.BUR/lON, October 12. Roderick M’Rae, aged fifteen. of Methven, and William Henry Fagan, aged seventeen, of Springburn, were charged with doing wilful damage to the Coleridge transmission line at Mount Hutt. Mr Buchanan, who appeared for Fagan and pleaded guiltv, said that th© Act provided for a penalty of £SOO, plus the cost of lie damage. This line ran through tussock country, sparsely inhabited by people uninitiated in the ways of electricity. Neither boy realised that lie was doing barm when he created a short circuit by throwing up pieces of wire in order to see the sparks fly. Their actions plunged Ashburton into darkness for six hours, an dcaused damage at the head works. When arrested the boys told the constable that if the pieces of ■wire had fallen near the poles they ■would have climbed up and removed them. Such a course, added counsel, would have installtlv killed them. He urged the necessity for the better education of residents respecting electricity. These hoys were not charactristirally mischievous, and the cases were the first of tho kind. Mr M’Gibbon, lor the Department, said that the damage amounted to £IOO. The Magist-rate said that he would treat future severely. In the present case the law did not allow birching. Each boys would be fined £2, ith costs £3 18s sd.